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Just Say No 2.0

Heavy marijuana use alters adolescent brain structure and impairs brain function for people of all ages. On March 10, Colorado launched it’s Drive High, Get a DUI campaign. Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana use and is the first state to roll out public service announcements warning marijuana users about driving when you're high.

The latest marijuana statistics are noteworthy. Marijuana consumption has increased over 30 percent since 2006. From 2006 through 2012, about half of drivers involved in fatal car accidents were tested for drugs and about 11 percent of those drivers tested positive for marijuana. In a September 2014 Colorado survey, 21 percent of respondents reported consuming marijuana and then driving at some point in the past month.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is now airing three television ads as part of its Drive High, Get a DUI campaign. The public service announcements target men ages 21-34, the demographic that tends to have the highest number of DUIs.

In another PSA, a man finishes installing a new flat screen TV on the wall, gives his partner a high five, and a moment later the TV falls off the wall and shatters on the floor. "Installing your TV while high is now legal," reads the text in the ad ... "Driving to get a new one isn't." The campaign also includes tourist outreach to rental car companies and dispensaries about marijuana driving laws in Colorado.

One Trillion Dollars of Illegal Drugs

A March 2014 study on national drug use found the amount of marijuana consumed by Americans increased by more than 30 percent from 2006 to 2010. The report was compiled for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and was conducted by researchers affiliated with the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.

"Having credible estimates of the number of heavy drug users and how much they spend is critical for evaluating policies, making decisions about treatment funding and understanding the drug revenues going to criminal organizations," said Beau Kilmer, the study's lead author and co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. "This work synthesizes information from many sources to present the best estimates to date for illicit drug consumption and spending in the United States."

The researchers say that because the study only includes data through 2010 the report doesn’t address the recent reported spike in heroin use or the consequences of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington. The report also does not try to explain the causes behind changes in drug use or evaluate the effectiveness of drug control strategies.

Researchers say that drug users in the United States spent around $100 billion annually on cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine throughout the decade. While the amount remained stable from 2000 to 2010, the spending shifted. While much more was spent on cocaine than on marijuana in 2000, the opposite was true by 2010.

"Our analysis shows that Americans likely spent more than one trillion dollars on cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine between 2000 and 2010," Kilmer said. The surge in marijuana use is related to an increase in the number of people who reported using the drug on a daily or near-daily basis.

Legalization May Increase Teenage Marijuana Use

Public support for marijuana legalization is increasing across the United States. Recreational use of cannabis was recently legalized in Colorado and Washington state and other states across the country are expected to follow suit. Currently an additional 15 states have decriminalized marijuana use, and 19 states along with the District of Columbia allow prescription medical marijuana use.

Legalizing pot has its pros and cons. If you’d like to read more on the politics and economics of legalizing marijuana, this recent New York Timesarticle is very informative.

On the downside of legalization, a February 2014 study found that 10 percent of non-lifetime marijuana users surveyed reported that they would try marijuana if legal. The study found that a large percentage of high school students normally at low risk for marijuana use (e.g., non-cigarette-smokers, religious students, those with friends who disapprove of use) reported intention to use marijuana if it were legal.

Percentage of people 12 or older who said they used illicit drugs in past year. (Study from 2008)

"Our study focused on intention to use and it was the first to find that groups generally not "at risk" become more "at risk" when legalized," said Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at the Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center.

"What I personally find interesting is the reasonably high percentage of students who are very religious, non-cigarette smokers, non-drinkers, and those who have friends who disapprove of marijuana use—who said they intended to try marijuana if it was legal," said Dr. Palamar. "This suggests that many people may be solely avoiding use because it is illegal, not because it is "bad" for you, or "wrong" to use."

Heavy marijuana use alters adolescent brain structure and impairs memory function. Also, if you smoke marijuana to reduce anxiety, recent studies have found that over time cannabis hijacks receptors of the cannabinoid system and reduces your brain's ability to create its own cannabis called "endocannabinoids." The lack of self-produced cannabis can create more anxiety and the need to smoke more marijuana to de-stress… This cycle can lead to dependency and snowball into addiction.

The researchers caution that as marijuana use increases—regardless of legal status—it will become increasingly important to prevent adverse consequences that may be associated with use. Public health practitioners should step up their efforts to educate cannabis users about the potential harms associated with marijuana use. Likewise, the researchers emphasize the need to address drug use through more of a public health paradigm and treat marijuana use as a health issue and less of a moral issue.

If you’d like to read more on this topic, check out my Psychology Today blog posts:

I'm intrigued by the sudden change in attitudes this drug has caused. I recall if it was yesterday, were weed commercials were running rampant throughout the airways. And you rememer them. Nowadays, is like they mysteriously disappear. Why is weed treated differently than tobacco? Tobacco has always had a negative light ever since studies were done about long-term use. Tobacco has turned into the devil, but weed? It has turned into this positive reinforcement. When did it all change?

I will like to say that I was once a smoker myself. On a consistent basis. I will only be a hypocrite if I didn't acknowledge my usage of the drug, but in my case, my experiment on the drug had to do with a moral cause, not a legal one. You get exposed with the ever-changing landscape of drug use, and weed was no exception. Chances are you will come accross a story at school, in your community or in your family. Peer pressure and temptations are big attractors when it comes to fitting in with a group of your peers. Especially when you are young. But in my case, for example, my interest on the drug became absolute when I would see average smokers do good in school. It wasn't different for me, because I always did well in school. But in my eyes, if the drug is so bad, shouldn't they be doing bad as well? Not to mention the relationships they had built, romantically or personally. In my eyes, was weed as bad lying if you still had a functional brain? Or was it as harmless? The rest is history.

Each person will have different reasons to try out the drug, and all cases should be treated independently. But I do believe more religious teens will try it, because is considered legal, hence, safe. That wording alone tells you that is OK to try something as long as you are responsible by any course of action. If its legal, then you know is accepted by society, and you don't have to make excuses to your friends, or in many times, your competitors. You now have an excuse to try the drug, all because a simple wording makes it OK to do so.

Drugs will always intrigue the human psyche. Is explained through neuroscience. We all have a reward system, and dugs provide us with an euphoric experience like no other. Some call it freedom, others call it nature. Whatever stance you have is important why these are called drugs. They are meant to do one thing: alter your brain. That's it sole purpose. Is its job. The danger is depending on the drug for any activity. If you need it to have a good day at work, then is safe you are dependent on it. If you use it for social purposes, then is safe to say you have boundaries. But that's impossible. For every responsible person there will be a news story shedding negative light on te usage. But the question is, will the media have a responsibility to address this complicated issue?

The issue is popular with millenials. Nowadays media outlets selectively choose their own stories, and to them, drug issues is not a priority. Because is a health issue. Fair enough. But with so many social media websites, all it takes is a click of a button to find people who share the same interests as you. And at a click of a button, you will find commentaries through the political and domestic problem sharing a view you most likely will agree on. The encouragement will only get reinforced as the drug becomes culturally acceptable. I do believe the non-religious have different social patterns than the religious. Belief systems will greatlyalter perceptions of right and wrong, but when families start breaking down, order will banish, and exploration will become the driving force. Especially if you're young. Is safe to say that no one in this age group can see the health benefits of exercising, because is clear that exercising diminishes your chances of doing drugs. That experiment alone, and the impressionable outcomes you experience, will ultimately come down to you.

The politics is an issue I don't concern myself with. If my state approves recreational use(we passed medical use) I will respect the process and accept the outcome. But as a health issue, it is important to reconsider your priorities if you seriously want to have it on the ballot. There will be economic(revenue) and political(millenials) arguments approving such a measure, but is important that the health industry and psychology field do what they do best. There's nothing you can do in the private market, but there's a lot you can do informing the public. If one observer or commentor can learn something about the issue, I say is a win.

In the their December 2013 study, the researchers at Northwestern said:

"Teens who were heavy marijuana users -- smoking it daily for about three years -- had abnormal changes in their brain structures related to working memory and performed poorly on memory tasks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine® study."

It's important to note that these studies can't show anything about how marijuana may (or may not) change the brain. Participants in these studies were not randomly assigned to smoke marijuana. Instead, they were individuals who chose to smoke marijuana.

It's just as likely that individuals who had these particular brain structures and memory deficits are drawn to frequent marijuana use. Or that some third variable (genetic or environmental) causes both the brain/memory patterns and marijuana use. Correlational studies simply cannot provide information about causation.

If someone is using marijuana or another substance daily--and how many people do that anyway--in order to avoid or obscure reality, that is certainly a problem. And I don't think its a good idea for adolescents to be using intoxicants, though we all know they will.

Right now, teens can access illegal marijuana through the black market without much hassle. So should we continue to push people towards the dangers of these black markets or should we legalize AND regulate marijuana? I say absolutely! No contest.

I think this approach will be a victory for public health and safety. And frankly, so what if more people experiment with marijuana. I'd expect that, as people will be curious. Hell, the government has made it so exotic by banning it. Who wouldn't be intrigued? Maybe some of these folks will try weed and lay off the booze, which is clearly more dangerous.

Prohibition is itself a dangerous and unhealthy way to deal with drugs. I'd much rather spend my time around potheads than the cold authoritarians who believe it is acceptable to use government violence to stop people from using "illicit substances." Perhaps it is the drug warriors who should have THEIR heads examined.

Robert-Yes,our paths have crossed again!! Thank you for joining the discussion here and for sharing your insights on this topic in your Psychology Today blog post "It's Time to Address the Marijuana Issue."